Cultural responses to pain in UK children of primary school age: A mixed‐methods study

Abstract

Pain-measurement tools are often criticized for not addressing the influence of culture and ethnicity on pain. This study examined how children who speak English as a primary or additional language discuss pain. Two methods were used in six focus group interviews with 34 children aged 4-7 years: (i) use of drawings from the Pediatric Pain Inventory to capture the language used by children to describe pain; and (ii) observation of the children's placing of pain drawings on red/amber/green paper to denote perceived severity of pain. The findings demonstrated that children with English as an additional language used less elaborate language when talking about pain, but tended to talk about the pictures prior to deciding where they should be placed. For these children, there was a positive significant relationship between language, age, and length of stay in the UK. The children's placement of pain drawings varied according to language background, sex, and age. The findings emphasize the need for sufficient time to assess pain adequately in children who do not speak English as a first language.

Perceived language proficiency and pain assessment by registered and student nurses in native English‐speaking and EAL children aged 4–7 years

“…We noted that the linguistic barriers when reacting to pain might affect verbal expression of the injury. Indeed, children from EAL background provide less elaborate language in their narratives compared to native speakers (Gorman, Fiestas, Peña, & Clark, ; Han, Leichtman, & Wang, ; Parke, ) and also when talking about pain (Azize, Endacott, Cattani, & Humphreys, ; Azize et al., ). For example, Azize et al.…”

“…For example, Azize et al. () found that EAL children tended to focus their stories either on using limited vocabulary (albeit very animated) or providing extended narratives which were storying their experiences of pain to a far greater extent than monolingual children.…”

An exploration of pain-related vocabulary: implications for AAC use with children

“…Vocabulary to describe pain (Azize, Endacott, Cattani, & Humphreys, 2013;Franck, Noble, & Liossi, 2010;Johnson et al, 2016); 2. Vocabulary to direct the actions of others in response to the pain or injury (Azize et al, 2013;Ely, 1992); 3. Vocabulary to describe the location of the pain (Ely, 1992;Franck et al, 2010); 4.…”

Pediatric Pain Assessment and Tools: The Influence of Culture and Age on Pain Assessment

“…36,43 Örneğin; beyaz ırkın ağırlıklı olduğu toplumda yaşayan ve ikinci dilini konuşan siyahi Afrikalı Amerikalı çocuklar, Avrupalı Amerikalı çocuklardan daha az sözsel ifadeler kullanarak ağrılarını ifade etmektedirler. 36 Benzer şekilde, İngiltere'de yaşa-yan ve İngilizceyi ikinci dil olarak kullanan Arap ve Kürt çocukların, ağrıyı tarif etmek için İngiliz kökenli çocuklardan daha fazla zaman harcadıkları görülmüştür.…”

“…36 Benzer şekilde, İngiltere'de yaşa-yan ve İngilizceyi ikinci dil olarak kullanan Arap ve Kürt çocukların, ağrıyı tarif etmek için İngiliz kökenli çocuklardan daha fazla zaman harcadıkları görülmüştür. 43 Elde edilen kanıtlar, ülkelerde azın-lık grup olan toplumların yetersiz şekilde ağrı tedavisi aldıkları bulgusunu desteklemektedir. Mesela, Jimenez ve ark.nın çalışmasında; İspan-yolca konuşan Latin kökenli çocuklar ile İngilizce konuşan Amerikalı Kafkas çocuklarla aynı seviyede ağrı öz bildirimi yapılmış, fakat Latin çocuklar %30 daha az analjezik tedavisi almışlardır.…”